Articles Written by Katie

About Katie: Katie has been a product and textile designer, an art restoration specialist, and an interior designer/merchandiser. Her interests are focused on finding well designed items that improve daily life as well as reading fiction and making stuff. (View Profile)

Cabinet by Ferm Living

There are so many Cyber Monday deals I think it’s best to ignore them altogether. You’ve probably already taken advantage of the savings on the stuff you really want anyways, right? So, let’s just return to normal and talk about this excellent cabinet by Ferm Living. Use it as a bedside table or as storage for the office and enjoy the perforated metal back as it gives just the right amount of industrial edge to a room’s decor.(more…)

Hide Phone Case and Card Holder

Keep your phone- or your sunglasses- safe with this Hide Phone Case from Tom Dixon, or opt for the smaller Card Holder for credit and business cards. Copper plated hardware and a stamped logo shows that these vegetable tanned Italian leather pieces are just a little more special than ordinary options. Either could be a thoughtful gift for a good friend or family member.(more…)

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours! We’re thankful for lots of things this year, namely our health, family and friends, and the fact that you’re still reading this website after 9+ years of us posting all sorts of items that you may or may not need/want. Here’s hoping you have a safe and relaxing holiday weekend. We’ll be back on Monday as usual.(more…)

Sleeper Sofas

Holidays almost always means visitors, family or friends, and if you like those visitors enough to invite them to stay at your home, you certainly don’t want them to sleep on the floor. Unless you’re fortunate enough to have a whole dedicated room just for guests (lucky you), you’ll need a sleeper sofa. Here’s a few sleepers that look comfortable to sit on and comfortable enough to get a decent night’s rest, not to mention they’re utterly acceptable to shoe-horn into your modern-ish abode.(more…)

Join Facet Placemats

I’ll bet that wherever you enjoy your Thanksgiving feast they won’t have placemats as cool as these (if we actually were betting money, I’d make an absolute fortune). The Join Facet Placemats (set of 2) have a 3d fractal pattern molded out of heat resistant silicone. Join them together for an interesting seamless table runner or keep them separate for an easy-to-clean table setting.(more…)

Twill Tablet Case

Maybe your tablet case is looking a little worn down and beaten up, in which case you should drop $20 to get a very simple new one from Everlane. The exterior is 100% cotton twill, the interior 100% twill-fused lining, and it has thinly padded sides to protect your precious. And, hey, $20 is such a steal, you’ve got no excuse to not look professional when you bring your tablet to meetings.(more…)

Origami Wine Tote

Oh, how to protect that valuable bottle of wine whilst trekking across town or perhaps even continent, as the case may be? No paper bag will do, that’s for certain. The folds of this Origami Wine Tote insulate and protect a bottle during travel and then compress down for storage. The neoprene material further softens any possible blows and adds to the bag’s appeal.(more…)

Crest Bottle Openers

Hey, what should you get someone that’s fond of their bottled beverages? A special bottle opener, of course. This collection of solid brass openers by Fort Standard use a minimal amount of material to get the job done, and, since they’re too pretty to be tucked away in a drawer, there’s the option to leave them out on the table or on a wall hook for display.(more…)

Herman Miller Holiday Sale

Just to tempt you, the Eames Storage Unit you see above is usually $3,149.00, but with the sale, it’s $2,676.65. Maybe you can gift yourself an iconic piece for the holidays, or else drop very big hints to Santa. You’ve worked really hard this year, after all.

Balise Pendant

Atelier de Troupe is hitting the right sort of note with their Balise collection. Just take a look at the pendant: a little retro Jean Royère inspiration moved this fixture from ‘quiet modern’ to ‘quiet-yet-playful-modern’, and that’s the secret winning combination when it comes to sophisticated interiors. Four 6″ ball glass shades hang side by side to make a 36″ width, 40″ drop height pendant, which fills a space above a dining table or kitchen island perfectly.(more…)

Utility Mirror

You know that weird section of your hair on the back of your head? This hand mirror will help you see it, and hopefully fix it, so you won’t look like a bum when you roll into the office each morning. It’s made by polishing a piece of stainless steel to a mirror finish, and then dipping it into an industrial rubber tool grip. You certainly won’t need to worry about breaking it (to clarify, by dropping it) because there’s no glass to break.(more…)

Yogibo Bean Bag

If you can get past the fact that this is, in fact, a bean bag, let’s ask this question: Does this or does this not look incredibly comfortable? I know, I know, it’s really hard to get past the video-gaming-soda-drinking sort of perception we have of bean bags, and, let’s be clear, no one is saying you should put this in your living room next to a Wegner Chair (the horror!).(more…)

Spectrix Card Game

What to do when an uncomfortable lull sets in amongst a friendly/family gathering? Pull out the cards, of course. And, seeing as not everyone knows that complicated card game that everybody else and their aunt plays every Thursday, why not mix it up with a color card game called Spectrix? It’s a play on the card game Rummy, just extremely simplified- it’s based on groups of color matches and sequences. No need to read suits or numbers, so it’s appropriate for all ages. Just build strategic groups of color to play out your hand. Easy, right?(more…)